Endurance – Bowen and the 1000 Mile Challenge
November - December 2007
Article written by Janie Godfrey was published in Today'sTherapist the International Trade Journal - Issue 49.
On Sunday, 2 March 2003, six contestants started off from The Mall in London to “travel unaided” one mile every hour for 1000 hours along the London Marathon route, after which they would run the London Marathon itself an hour after finishing the challenge, six weeks later on Sunday 13 April. It was a re-enactment of the successful completion of a wager undertaken by Captain Barclay of the Royal Welch Fusiliers in 1809. It has long been held as the ultimate sporting challenge, involving activity every single hour with sleep deprivation and no time to recover from any injuries or illness.
Four of the contestants were recognised sportsmen and sportswomen. Five of them had experience of running marathon races. The outsider in the pack was David Lake, a 25 year old Second Lieutenant in the Royal Welch Fusiliers who had no sporting background, had never undertaken a Marathon and had been persuaded at 2.00 am by his CO that “someone” should apply from the Regiment in view of the history of the event.
Bowen Technique practitioner and teacher Alastair Rattray provided Bowen treatment for David throughout the challenge as well as during David’s training walk. He had his introductory Bowen treatment, on a mattress on the floor of the almost derelict Chelsea Barracks, which proved to be relaxing but uneventful.
David then undertook a “training” 200-mile walk to assess how he would manage the main Challenge and to get himself organised with his support team. It was not until he had completed 84 miles that it was possible for him to receive a further Bowen treatment. By this time, walking one mile every hour for 84 hours had taken considerable toll on him. He had severe blisters on both feet. He was suffering continuous pain from a tendon injury in his right foot, both Achilles tendons were tense and painful and his hamstrings and calfs were also very tense. He later admitted that he had great misgivings about completing 100 miles, let alone the 200 mile test he had set himself and he wasn’t even thinking about the 1000 miles ahead.
His blistered feet were sorted out very quickly with the use of chiropody felt and spray-on skin and were not to trouble him again for the remainder of the 200 miles. He had two Bowen treatments on the first day at midday, and again at 4.00 pm. By 6.00 pm he said that his muscles felt “like day one again”. David’s programme was to walk one mile just before the even hour, and a second mile just after it to maximise his rest periods, as had Captain Barclay.
The competition started at the Mall at 4.00 pm on Sunday 2 March. David’s first treatment was at 8.00 pm near Tower Bridge in the back of a “white van”. He was totally exhausted by the long day’s publicity calls and interviews. His muscles were very tense, as he was himself as well. The Bowen treatment totally transformed him and he was then able to relax and slept well during his rest periods that night.
All the competitors had a medical check up with the Chief Medical Officer of the London Marathon who is a cardiac specialist. He was aware that David was receiving Bowen at the start of the Challenge. David’s results were very interesting in one of the blood tests. The level of creatin in his muscles was on the high side of normal, whereas all the other competitors had been very high above normal. This would be what he expected in Marathon runners at the time they were competing. However, none of the competitors had been running at the time of the tests at 500 miles. He then specifically asked David whether he was still receiving Bowen. This result suggests that David’s muscles were operating within their capacity, whereas the others were not.
David benefited from frequent Bowen treatments throughout the Challenge in that his body was constantly being brought back to balance. As a result, serious problems such as with the Achilles, the pelvis and the shin were quickly resolved. It was noticeable how effective Bowen was in the midst of a very demanding ultra distance event being given regularly without leaving the usual 7 days between treatments but assuming that micro damage would constantly produce re-injury. David was given treatment for the neck, back, pelvis, hamstrings, knees and ankles. He never hit the so called “wall” when the muscles can no longer cope and stop working until they have been rested. Overall, this was a very successful event for a non-athlete doing his first Marathon after completing 1000 miles in this way.
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